Field of Dreams: CVS gives veterans a special tour of Fenway Park

Sunday

Jul 6, 2014 at 11:04 PMJul 6, 2014 at 11:11 PM

Marc Larocque Enterprise Staff Writer @Enterprise_Marc

Two disabled veterans from the Taunton area were given an inside look at Fenway Park during a special baseball camp on Wednesday to mark the Independence Day holiday and as a way to give back to those who served.

“I never felt any more special or privileged or humbled,” said Marine veteran Dale Bishop, a double amputee from Norton. “There are a lot of guys a lot worse off than me. They made their way around the stadium and did batting practice and all of that. … It’s a big thing for us. It’s a lifetime thing. It’ll be something I’ll never forget.”

The baseball camp organized by CVS Caremark drew veterans from the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs New England Adaptive Sports Program through the V.A. Boston Healthcare System. Held on a hot, sunny afternoon on Wednesday, more than 15 vets took batting practice with a Boston Red Sox hitting coach, got a VIP tour and tickets for that night’s game against the ChicagoCubs.

“It is an honor to bring these proud servicemen and women to Fenway Park for a special baseball camp experience, especially as we get ready to celebrate the Fourth of July,” said Eileen Howard Boone, a senior vice president at CVS Caremark. “This is CVS Caremark’s fourth season of partnering with the Red Sox on this initiative, and each year we find ourselves humbled and inspired by the veterans who participate.”

Bishop, 57, who was recently reconnected with the V.A. for prosthetics after serving in the Marines from 1977 to 1981, said the veterans health system tries to get him and others involved in activities and they were the ones who told him about the CVS sponsored event. He said he decided to go and it was an “awesome” decision.

“I had been to Fenway Park in the stands before … but never out on the field,” Bishop said. “The stadium blows you away with the history. You don’t realize how big that is being on the field. It overpowers you. But it was awesome. You are standing there in awe.”

Bishop said that he thanks CVS, the Red Sox and everyone else who was involved with organizing the event.

“If I have the opportunity, I’ll go again,” Bishop said. “It’s just that awesome.”

One veteran who did go again was Taunton’s Mark Dupras, an Army veteran who also attended the veterans baseball camp last year.

“For the vets to go enjoy and have a nice day, and getting to do the tour, it’s something you don’t get to do all the time,” said Dupras, who served in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, from 1985 to 1988 in a parachute infantry regiment. “It’s nice to be in the greatest historical park in the whole league. It’s really nice being there.”

Dupras, who suffered a knee injury during training and does not have full extension of his leg, and also had a stroke later in life that took away functionality in his left arm, brought along retired Taunton firefighter Paul Allison.

“It was a great day,” Allison said. “I enjoyed going there seeing the Sox play, being down on the field and being able to hit the balls. Everyone enjoyed it even though a very hot day. We got to meet the batting coach, and got to watch batting practice for the Sox before the game, which was good. Everybody that went had a good time. We enjoyed it a lot.”